Air strike deaths in Afghanistan alarm UN

The UN in Afghanistan spoke out yesterday about the growing number of civilians killed in air strikes after reports claimed nine people died in a bombing incident last week.

The number of air strikes by US-led forces increased sharply this year in an attempt to force Taliban militants into accepting peace talks. US forces almost doubled the number of bombs it dropped in the first six months of this year to nearly 3,000.

The UN said it received “credible allegations” that an air strike hit the house of a teacher in the eastern province of Kapisa on Saturday, killing nine members of the same family, including three women and four children. Six others were wounded, the UN said.

“Unama reminds all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians from harm,” it said.

“The mission repeats its earlier call for government forces to uphold their commitment to regular review of targeting protocols and ensure mitigation measures and compensation for victims.” Mohammad Radmanish, a defence ministry spokesman, confirmed that civilians died during the joint operation by Afghan and US forces but gave no details.

UN data show a jump of 52 per cent in the number of civilians killed or wounded in air strikes

He said an investigation was under way.

The US military in Kabul said it was reviewing information about the Kapisa incident and repeated that it did all it could to avoid civilian casualties.

“We are aware of the Unama announcement regarding Kapisa as well as the Afghan government’s statements, and that they’re conducting their independent process,” the military said.

“It isn’t uncommon for insurgents to use these accusations to drive a wedge between the military and the population. We will provide updates as they become available.”

The reports underlined one of the problems facing Gen Scott Miller, the new US commander in Afghanistan who took up his post this month and must balance demands to pressure the Taliban with the need to avoid civilian deaths.

UN data show a jump of 52 per cent in the number of civilians killed or wounded in air strikes in the first six months of the year. The UN said 149 civilians died and 204 were wounded in air attacks, with women and children accounting for more than half the casualties.

Since the figures were reported in July, the UN said it recorded increasing numbers of civilian casualties from air strikes.